York Town News
Town Farm sale, municipal buildings focus of Board of Selectmen discussion
By Larry Favinger
YORK - The Board of Selectmen is one step closer in the ongoing effort to find new homes for the York Police Department and Town Hall, and is looking at plans for the sale of several parcels of town-owned land.The process of determining both the need for and the possible location of a new police station is moving forward as of the selectmen's meeting on Monday, Nov 27.
SMRT, the Portland firm hired to handle the job, has completed the needs assessment, Town Manager Rob Yandow told the selectmen Monday night.
He said at this point the focus is on site review and evaluation for the placement of the facility in an effort to trim a large number of possible sites to "a smaller, workable number."
Yandow said additional information on the project would be presented at the selectmen's Dec. 11 meeting.
Later in the meeting, the selectmen approved a professional services agreement with SMRT for pre-architectural services related to design of a new municipal building to include evaluation of the existing Town Hall.
Yandow said the action is the first phase of design and would include a warrant article for the May ballot on construction of a new municipal facility.
Selectmen Chairman Dwight Bardwell pointed out the long-standing relationship between the town and SMRT. The firm worked on the addition to York high School and the renovation of York Middle School while Bardwell served on the School Committee.
"They are a really professional company," Bardwell said in making the motion to accept the proposal. "They are great to work with."
This past May the voters approved the purchase of the centrally-located Coventry Hall parcel from existing town funds, as well as the expenditure of up to $95,000 for site evaluation for a new municipal facility. There are discussions ongoing that would combine the planning tasks connected with the police station and the municipal building under one committee to streamline the process.
Plans to sell several current parcels of town-owned land also moved forward at Monday's meeting.
Four properties on Pine Mountain Road and one on Passaic have been offered to abutters with the understanding they would not be developed further, with replies due to Town Hall by Dec. 8.
Five other parcels, including the property at 178 Long Sands Road commonly known as the Town Farm, should be discussed individually, Yandow told the board.
Selectmen Chairman David Marshall was concerned that development of 178 Long Sands Road fit in with the abutting single-family dwellings. That, he said, would end the "recurring debate" about the use of the land.
The board agreed, however, that the land should not be sold to a developer for a subdivision there, and Marshall said three building lots are the most he would want on the site.
Selectman Michael Estes said the land, which borders Long Sands and Ferncroft roads, should be earmarked for residential development and a public hearing held so the sale could move forward as soon as possible.
Marshall proposed information about the site be sent to the Planning Board and Planning Department staff so the town could get an idea of what could be done there and see what the options look like.
By doing that, he said, the selectmen would "have something to show at the public hearing."
Bardwell said the town is "trying to be friendly to the neighborhood" and that any proposal should be "as straightforward as possible" in order to gain public support.
A proposal for the land will be on the board's Dec. 11 agenda.
Three properties on Mill Lane will be tested to see if they will accept septic systems. If they do, Estes said he would like to offer one to Habitat for Humanity and the others for sale.
The voters approved the sale of land owned by the town at the May election, dedicating the funds to be used to defray some of the expenses in connection with the building of municipal facilities.
The assessed value of the five properties under consideration for sale in this phase is $361,300.
